Cleaning non-organic fruit and vegetables

Rinsing vegetables and fruit with water does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients are lost. Wash the fruit or vegetables well before peeling, or you can transfer pesticides (or bacteria) to the peeled fruit or veg

Eat only the inner layers of produce that you won't be cooking, such as lettuce and other salad vegetables (including onions). Discard the outer layers, as these will have more pesticides on them from crop spraying. Assume that the outside layer of any fruit or vegetable will have absorbed most of the pesticides (though some will have also have been absorbed from the soil), and wash/peel or discard these outer layers whenever you can.

Here is a cleaning recipedeveloped by Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia at Polytechnic Institute and State University, to clean fruits and vegetables. Her disinfecting procedure uses white vinegar (or cider vinegar) and 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (the same as found at the drugstore). These are nontoxic, inexpensive and work not only on fruit and vegetables but can be used to sanitize counters and preparation surfaces, including wooden cutting boards, as well. Here’s the method:

-Put the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide into individual dark-colored spray bottles (You might be able to put a clean, new Sprayer right on the hydrogen peroxide bottle.

-Spray your produce or work surface thoroughly first with vinegar and then with hydrogen peroxide.

-Then rinse the produce under running water or wipe the surface with a clean wet sponge.

Here is another recipe that is safe and inexpensive, and made from ingredients you already have in your kitchen. It is a diluted form of hydrochloric acid to wash off pesticides:

- Fill your kitchen sink with cold water.

- Add four tablespoons of salt and the juice of half a fresh lemon.

- Soak fruits and vegetables five to ten minutes (leafy greens two to

three minutes and berries one to two minutes)

- Rinse well after soaking and use

A couple more suggestions

1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 cup (250ml) of water. Put the mixture in a spray-topped bottle. Spray the fruit or vegetables, leave to sit for 5--10 minutes, then rinse well.

1 cup (250ml) water, half a cup (115ml) vinegar, 1 tablespoon baking soda and dash of grapefruit seed extract. Spray this onto the produce and leave for an hour before rinsing and eating.

Some people swear by vinegar, and use one part vinegar to three parts water. This is great for removing bacteria,it removed 98% of bacteria, compared to just under 85% for scrubbing. The quickest way to do this at home is to keep a bottle of vinegar with a spray-top -- just spray the fruit or vegetables with vinegar, then rinse under a tap. If you've got longer to spare, leave fruit or vegetables soaking for 10--20 minutes in a vinegar/water solution, then rinse.